Smoke and noise
No one is saying Madrid closed down as a result of crew costs but more a combination of factors of which crew costs was one.
I think you will find of the factors that contribute to cost per seat crew costs is the one management will target. As all the others have been cut to the bone.
In the UK flexicrew contracts provide the best value for money. Note 50 or so positions lost over the winter. This combined with the steady stream of wannabes provides cheap labour for easyjet.
As everyone knows the Portuguese contract is heavily weighed in easyjets favour.
The Madrid contract with its amazing remuneration ( as crowed about by those on it ) soon to be gone with the base.
The latest French strike rumoured to be as a direct result of those from Madrid being offered a Nice base on a substantially worse deal than other French based crew.
With regard to France. The socialists will realise that the end of austerity is not achievable without a more flexible labour force with less state entitlements. Cue a winter/ summer of discontent with flexicrew being positioned in to cover your flights when the whole of France strikes. Then when your advantageous tax arrangements come to an end no doubt you all will ask easyjet to cover the difference and then strike when told to swivel.
As was told to a german based pilot when winging at WB During SEP a few years back "if you don't like it you can always leave"
The problem is we are in a European recession and supply of pilots outweighs demand. I guess we all value our labour more than the company does but that's life.